Being deployed in the military can often involve a lot of “hurry up and wait.”
Movies, video games and all kinds of entertainment can help pass the time but sometimes it can be nice just to sit down with a good book.
Since 1999, Operation Paperback has sent hundreds of thousands of books to service men and women overseas.
In recent years, the nonprofit expanded its mission to include those at veterans hospitals. Even more recently, the books have been sent to all members of the military, veterans and their families.
This year, the Camp Verde Community Library is working with local residents to help with the effort.
“It’s the very first year we’ve been involved with this,” said Gerry Laurito, a library specialist at the library.
Operation Paperback is out of Pennsylvania. The Keystone State is where the father-in-law of a former chief master sergeant Rick Honeywell, lives.
Honeywell found himself in Kuwait without any way to pass that sometimes seemingly endless time.
After Honeywell received a sizable shipment of books and other items from his wife and others, the father-in-law was inspired.
He started sending books of his own and finding others to contribute.
The effort grew and as of today, it has sent out nearly 2 million books to the armed forces, according to Operation Paperback.
“We’re trying to help out various different veterans organizations, the troops and their families,” Laurito said.
The collection effort has been going on for a month and will continue through Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, Laurito said.
So far, it’s been going great, particularly for the first year of Camp Verde’s involvement.
“We’ve collected more than 700 books so far,” Laurito said. “I just packed up eight more boxes.”
Laurito said the library stores the donated books wherever the employees can find room.
The Camp Verde library has been sending books to the veterans hospital in Phoenix.
“The next box is going to the veterans hospital in Prescott,” Laurito said.
The organization provides the library with the places it would like to see the collected books shipped.
Of course, any avid reader who has had to move knows that moving boxes of books around makes one consider the wisdom of an electronic reader.
These books are all definitely physical and they aren’t cheap to ship.
That’s why the library is also accepting cash donations to help send the books to the military and their families.
Most books are being dropped off right at the library, right by Black Bridge Road and Montezuma Castle Highway, Laurito said.
There are other places around the community where people can bring their old books.
Drop off points will be at Camp Verde Parks and Recreation, 395 S. Main St., the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office, 646 S. First St., the Yavapai-Apache Nation Recreation Department on the Middle Verde Reservation, the American Legion, 286 S. Third St., and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, 377 SR 260.
“I drive around once a week to see what we’ve got and pick them up,” Laurito said.
The new library also continues to be under construction.
Regular construction update progress talks have been held throughout the process.
The last one for 2015 is set for 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the library.
